The Constraints of Society

A big difference exists between what you want to do and what you are supposed to do. Belacqua struggles with this problem throughout “Yellow” because of the surgery he must suffer through, and each difference between the desires and expectations of Belacqua are represented with dialogue and parentheses.

Belacqua’s mind, haunted by the thought of being put under and cut open, wishes to rebel. But how would his behavior affect his doctor, his surgery, and his family?

“But the unfortunate part of it was that this would appear in his behaviour, he would scream and kick and bite and scratch when they came for him, beg for execution to be stayed and perhaps even wet the bed, and what a reflection on his late family that would be! The grand old family Huguenot guts, he could not do the dirty on them like that. (To say nothing of his natural anxiety to be put to rights with as little fuss as possible)” (200).

 

Belacqua really wants to act out and be dramatic in order to prevent the cold touch of the scalpel, but he naturally wants to be better as quickly as possible, so he must not fuss in order to make a good impression on his doctor and his family by remaining cool, calm, and collected throughout the tortures of surgery.

Belacqua concerns himself with the memory of his family and therefore restrains himself, but he also equally worries about the opinions of his friends. “So now there was nothing for it but to lie on his back in the dark and exercise his talent. Unless of course he chose to distress the friends of his late family (to say nothing of perhaps jeopardizing the cure for which the friends of his late family were paying)” (202). Belacqua wants to prevent surgery with acts of silly resistance, but he must lie still and be quiet out of respect for the people receiving the bill for his surgery.

 

They pay the bills, so just get over yourself

The rules of society constrain our actions, though we are allowed to think freely. Belacqua accomplishes just this as he pleasures himself with the idea that he could rebel, act out, scream, yell, fight, etc., but never performs any of these desires because of the part that others play in his surgery: the nurses will take care of him, the doctor will operate on him, and his friends will financially support him.

Scary surgery!